NICE PEOPLE

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I believe most people are nice. I had an experience yesterday that exemplifies the statement.

I went out my front door. There on the porch/stoop was a lovely vase with spectacular type sunflowers. Not flowers common to the Keys.

There had been a wedding next door Sunday. My neighbor rents out his property by the week. It is not legal. The wedding impacted on me. Only part of it bothered me. The rest I took in stride.

When I returned home at dinner time Saturday, there were at least a dozen big garbage cans and about 20 boxes full of garbage, empty booze bottles and the like. In front of my wall on my property! The house looked like a garbage dump.

They had a wedding scheduled the next day and did not want the garbage to show. I had an open house the next day and did not want garbage showing either. Even without the open house, I would have not wanted the garbage.

There were already many people next door. Coming in and out. I asked several about the garbage. No one knew anything. I felt I was getting jerked around. I was getting irritated. Finally I said, screw it and called the sheriff’s department. Within  minutes, two deputies arrived. I explained the situation. They went next door. The deputies returned. They said the people apologized and were already taking care of the garbage. It got buried somewhere out of sight on their property.

Yesterday was the wedding. Cars all over the place. A two way road was one way. A big catering van was parked in the street in front of my home. Then the music and screaming and yelling till the wee hours of the morning.

Such did not bother me. It was a joyous occasion for them and would be over in a matter of hours. I could catch up on my sleep on Sunday.

The next door house was empty yesterday. All were gone.

A handwritten note was tucked into the flowers. “Thank you for allowing us to enjoy our wedding day. Good luck in selling your home! The Normans.”

Nice people.

I felt guilty I called the cops!

Ran some errands and visited Tammy for a manicure in the morning. Spent the afternoon working on the Greece book and fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show.

The show was pretty much limited to some Catholic/Christian issues and the County’s new anti-smoking law imposed on county employees. Both topics hit a nerve based on post show comments.

Previous to yesterday, Attorney General Holder had been responsible for two statements regarding banks that I absolutely did not agree with…..Banks are too big to fail…..Banks are too big to prosecute.

Yesterday Holder came out with a third statement…..No individual or entity is too big to go to jail.

We shall see. The people of the United States have waited too long for justice for the 2008 mortgage fiasco. The banks came out whole and in better shape. The people have yet to recover.

Enjoy your day!

A TYPICAL KEY WEST DAY

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Yesterday was a typical Key West day. What is typical? Not a do nothing day. Such would be referred to as a nothing day. A typical day is one where you do a few things. No sweat or strain things. All pleasurable. All which move the day along in a tortoise fashion.

The morning was quiet at home.

Lunch was outstanding! Food and company wise. I had a luncheon scheduled with my publisher, Shirrel Rhoades. We met at Azur. A one hour lunch turned into almost a two hour one. We were enjoying each other.

Shirrel has a distinguished background in the publishing field. Two notables include his time as Publisher of Marvel Comics and as a Vice President with the Reader’s Digest.

Shirrel wants me to write more books. I had planned on it so we were in accord. I see at least three more by the end of the year. Growing Up Italian, of course. Also a follow up to the The World Upside Down. Shirrel believes a series is in order.

Greece. Recall my first trip to Greece. The plan is to put together the day to day blog reporting for the month I spent in Greece. There will be added material to some to better portray the perils that confronted me. Pictures, too. The book will be fun doing.

I rarely dine at Azur. One does not eat there. One dines. The food commands dining. Why I rarely eat at Azur, I do not know.

For lunch, I had a steak sandwich. Sounds simple. Was not. It was a rib eye pan fried in oil and parsley on a fantastic roll. I repeated myself several times to the waiter and Shirrel how good the sandwich tasted!

Then drove over to Lee Nails. I was overdue for a manicure. It is always a pleasure to share time with Tammy. A beautiful smart hard working young Vietnamese woman.

The place was busy. I mentioned it to her. She said it had become busy just before I walked in. Prior thereto, quiet. The pedicure chairs were mostly occupied. Several ladies were getting manicures.

It has never bothered me to sit among the ladies and get a manicure and/or pedicure. It must be my feminine side.

Stayed in the rest of the afternoon. It was decision time. The subject for my COMMENTARY column in next week’s KONK Life. I am not certain yet. However, I seem to be leaning to something on the genius Putin is showing at the present time and our reactions. The reactions seem to be ineffective.

My blog talk radio show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou was last night. Fun time.  I love doing the show!

Two areas seem to have garnered the most interest. One was my dissertations on Putin and Ukraine. The other, the increasing cost of food.

The Courmayeur landslide I reported yesterday is still a problem. The fall is unstable. It consists of dirt and rocks. The fall started below the snow line. It continues to slide and creep down the hillside. A portion of Courmayeur has been evacuated. The tunnel connecting Italy and France was closed several times.

No one is certain yet what to do.

There have been two other significant mountain slides in recent days. The avalanche on Mount Everest and the mud slide in Washington State.

Nature rearing its ugly head!

Enjoy your day!

 

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

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Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred

Theirs not to reason why;

Theirs but to do and die.

Crimea is in the news big time these days. As is Russia, other European nations and Ukraine. War threatens. In 1854, there was a war in Crimea. The Crimean War. Involved were Crimeans, Russians, Great Britain, certain other Euro nations, and many of the Muslim faith.

On October 25, the Battle of Balaklava took place. An ill fated event in British military history. The British calvary charging up the hill were decimated. Totally destroyed. Fire from each side and above. The attack was a mistake. A for real administrative error. The British troops should not have been riding up that hill.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was poet laureate at the time. After the battle, he wrote his famous The Charge of the Light Brigade. The opening quoted four lines of this blog represent four lines from the poem.

History appears to be repeating itself. Hopefully war will not ensue.

Live long enough and you get to meet everyone.

Jimmy Valvano was North Carolina State basketball coach. His team won the Final Four in 1983. Many will recall the film of Valvano immediately after the winning game. He was running up and down the court looking for some one to hug.

Valvano died of cancer at age 47.  Yesterday’s Key West Citizen carried a quote of his concerning cancer. “Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.”

A couple of years after the Final Four victory, I was in Italy for a one month family vacation. It was the last three days of the trip. My parents and son had already left for home. It was just my wife, two daughters and me. The night was late. They were tired. Left me wandering the Via Veneto as they returned to the pension.

The Via Veneto is Rome’s main street. Bustling with character and charm twenty four hours a day. Many outside cafes. Sitting at one alone was Jimmy Valvano. I immediately recognized him.

I went over, introduced myself, related my Syracuse affiliation and friendship with Jim Boeheim. Valvano and I became immediate friends.

His wife had gone back to the hotel tired. We sat, enjoyed Italian coffees and chatted for quite a while. A nice guy. A memorable evening for me.

Yesterday included a meeting downtown, manicure, and time at Don’s Place. Tammy happily was relating to me her happiness with their new home. Love her! She and her husband deserve all the joys they are experiencing. Later, I chatted with David and Herschel at Don’s Place. We are going to be short handed thursday at bocce. Herschel, Erika and Jennifer will not be there.

Stopped to visit Lisa in between. Jake was sick. Had been up chucking. Poor Jake!

Blog talk radio tonight. I will be discussing how the economy is bad for some of the big guys, also. An interesting change in the Utah polygamy laws. It is now legal. Who would want five wives, however? A 70 year old father who discovered his son’s fiancée was in the escort business. Should he tell his son? U.S. combat aircraft having a superior readiness to all other nations. The looting of the Ukraine already by American and Euro nation banks. Obama and Putin playing chicken to the detriment of the world. The head of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi party running for President. Putin nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And more.

Revealing information. A quick moving half hour.  www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou. The show is archived. It is also available on You Tube following the actual broadcast. Enter the show’s title Tuesday Talk With Key West Lou and the date of the show in numbers. My pic and voice come up. Enjoy!

The You Tube version is not posted till 3-4 days after the show. Sorry. We are working on it getting posted sooner.

New college basketball rankings came out yesterday. Syracuse #11. How the mighty fall! Two weeks ago, Syracuse was #1. Unless Syracuse wins the ACC tournament this week, Syracuse will be a 3 or 4 seed in the big tournament.

Enjoy your day!

JENNA AND ME LAST NIGHT

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A first class evening last night. A good way to enjoy friday after dark. Jenna and I went to Square One for dinner. A terrific date and a great meal!

Jenna as always was her beautiful self. Lucky will be the man she falls in love with.

I started going to Square One over 20 years ago when Michael Stewart first opened it. For many years, it was my favorite haunt. Three to four times a week. Other regulars attended with the same frequency. We all had a good time. Bartender Patrick “Patty Cakes” Hayes became our friend. To this day, he and Lisa remain extremely close.

Carmelo used to own La Trattoria. He sold it several years ago. Bought Bottle Cap. He still owns Bottle Cap. Last year, he bought Square One from Michael Stewart.

Carmelo knows the restaurant business. He updated the restaurant interior. Introduced a new menu. The place is gorgeous! The food outstanding!

Jean Zimmerman. I have not seen Jean in probably 10 years. Saw her last night. She was hosting at Square One. Jean, lovely as ever!

Jean is from the Square One days of old. She hosted there around 15 years ago. It was good to see her again. Always a warm smile. Last night an addition. Long flowing white hair. Magnificent!

Bartender Patrick was not working. He is vacationing in Europe with husband Les.

I started yesterday morning with my TV/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Post show comments and emails indicate Social Security was the topic garnering the most interest. Many were unaware that the U.S. government has legally stolen from the Social Security fund to the tune of $2.7 trillion. Social Security is the U.S.’s biggest creditor. Not China or Japan.

Unfortunately,  the money will probably never be paid back.

Then a manicure with Tammy. A nice person! The American dream fulfilled. Immigrated  from Vietnam 12 years ago. Worked hard. She and her husband bought a business. Last month, a new home.

Sloan and I worked together for a while in the afternoon.

Followed by a nap. I was tired!

Tonight, bocce! I know, it is saturday. Bocce is thursday. It is a make up game. At 7. Saturday night at the bocce courts. Should be interesting. We will probably be the only ones playing.

Syracuse football this afternoon. Go ‘Cuse!

Syracuse plays North Carolina. North Carolina is a one touchdown favorite. Hopefully, Syracuse will come out on top!

Enjoy your day!

 

WIRELESS ZONE

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My divorce from Verizon at the K Mart shopping center was finalized yesterday. I was fed up! I am not going into all the details as to why. You have heard me complain enough the past two years.

I discovered another Verizon store in the Winn-Dixie shopping center. It is called the WIRELESS ZONE. Do not walk. Run when you need cell phone assistance. My sense is the people are good.

The place is locally owned. I met one of the owners who was kind enough to take care of me. His name is Manny Rioseco. He dealt with my problems professionally and politely. He was unhurried. He dug deeper into my cell phone that anyone had in the past. The phone is working today. I hope it continues to work. My tablet a sudden problem, also. I am not sure yet if the problem is resolved.

Manny also told me I was entitled to just under$100 a month off on my monthly billing. Why didn’t the other Verizon tell me in any of my many visits to them?

My new friends…..Manny Rioseco and the Wireless Zone.

I have already done my TV/internet  show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. One of my best! If you missed the show, it is You Tubed. You can catch it beginning tomorrow. Enter Lou’s Legal Hour.

I get pissed off on occasion. A report just came out that the median family wage has gone down over the past five years. Add to it the House of Representative’s recent action passing a bill to eliminate $40 billion from the food stamp program.

I countered with some things Congress does to spend money inappropriately. In other words, wastefully. Like the US Senate. This a…..Did you know? The US Senate has its own barber shop. It is called Senate Hair Care Services. The barber shop is run with taxpayer dollars. It runs a deficit of about $500,00 a year. It has lost $5.25 million over 15 years.

Hooray for the Senators! They get next to free haircuts at taxpayer expense. They are required to pay $3.50. All the while, the median family wage has gone down, $40 billion is being cut in food stamps, and free breakfasts for children is being eliminated.

A shade of another color. The House of Representative members who want to do away with Obamacare get the very best medical free as Congresspersons.

Our elected representatives are caring people!

My yesterday was busy.

Started with a haircut with Lori. Always pleasant. Then a manicure with Tammy. Another delightful experience.

Tammy and her husband recently bought a new home on Seidenberg. Big! Tammy and I chatted about it yesterday. She recalled her life in Hue, Vietnam. She said when it rained outside, it rained inside. The whole family lived together in a small abode. The bathroom was an outhouse. Cold and scary at night.

It was Blossom’s for lunch. New owners! Five days. I wish them well. I enjoyed my usual Cuban cheese toast with tomato and a cup of Cuban coffee.

I spent what ever free time I had working on my book which is soon to be published. The World Upside Down. I am working with the publisher now editing, etc.

Bocce last night. We lost all three games. Something is wrong. This is the third consecutive season we have sucked. I see a meeting coming. Don and David will ask the team members….. What are we doing wrong? Hours will go into the discussion and hopeful resolution.

Remember the Kim I mentioned last weekend. I met her and her male counterpart last weekend at the Chart Room. Kim is a bocce player. She played against us last night. A terrific player! Always on the money! Killed us with every shot!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

TAMMY U.S. CITIZEN TOMORROW

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I got a pedicure and manicure yesterday. Tammy was excited. Very. She could not wait to tell me the good news. Tomorrow she becomes a United States citizen. She takes the oath in Miami.

Tammy was very proud. Justifiably so.

She told me she was in Miami on monday to take the written and oral tests for citizenship. she beamed as she advised she answered every question correctly.

Congratulations Tammy! And God bless!

The more than a week of 80 degree weather ends today. A cold front is coming in. Tonight the temperature will drop to 63. Cold! Tomorrow the temperature will be 70 by day and 64 at night. Saturday the temperature will return to the high 70s.

Most Key Westers are thrilled when a cold front comes in. It is a break from the warm weather. I do not mind a cold front, except in the evenings. Sleeping alone in low 60 degree weather is neither comfortable nor comforting.

Worked a bit yesterday on friday’s TV/Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. The show is almost all put together. A good one. You will enjoy.

The show is at 10 in the morning my time. Airs on television throughout the Keys and Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. The show is also available world wide at www.tvchannel19.com.

Babysat at dinner time last night.

A first occurred. Robert and Ally were permitted to ride without car seats. They were excited!

We had dinner at Matheesson’s. The grandkids love the place. It has a children’s menu that is really for children. Order what ever and get fries with the order. Plus, ice cream! They each had cheeseburgers.

They get their own ice cream. They go to the counter and pick out the flavor they want. Then the toppings! Each knows exactly which toppings they want.

Afterwards to Publix. I needed a few diet items.

The scenario is always the same. First the fight as to who will drive the cart. Then they each have their own way of shopping. Robert touches everything on every shelf. Takes items off and returns them. Ally spins and dances her way down the aisles. She is always thirty feet or more ahead of the cart.

They both forget they wanted to drive the cart.

Tonight our bocce banquet. Like bowling banquets of old. It will be at Don’s Place. Filet mignon, creamed spinach, potatoes, etc. Always a good meal. I will neither be eating nor drinking. Just a couple of diet Pepsi’s.

I cannot leave without a political comment.

The gun issue is not driven solely by the NRA and its members. The behind the scene primary drivers are the gun manufacturers and retailers. It is all about money.

Two statistics  read yesterday. Two separate articles. I make no claim as to their accuracy. If correct, they are interesting.

One article said more guns were sold in the United States this past November and December than all the guns combined in the Chinese and Indian armies.

The other claimed more than 67 million guns have been sold in the United States since Obama was elected in 2008.

Follow the money!

Enjoy your day!

MY FIRST PIRATE RADIO SHOW

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I am becoming the Walter Cronkite of Key West.

I did my first radio show appearance for Pirate Radio yesterday. A Key West name! I will be appearing every tuesday afternoon as a guest on Mark Ryno’s show. Either at 3:45 or 4 o’clock.

The topic will be whatever Ryno and I want to talk about. Yesterday, it was the NRA, the military industrial complex, and the Sandy funding issue in Congress.

The whole talk exchange is 8 minutes.

Ryno has two distinctions. He was raised in upstate New York in a town called Waterville. About 15 miles south of my home town of Utica. The other is that when I did my first radio show three years ago at KONK Broadcasting, Ryno was the one who taught me. He took me in a little room, swiftly pointed to several knobs and said do this and that. And he walked out! I knew nothing and screwed up big time!

The Pirate Radio Station is located in a lovely tiny two story building at Sunrise Marina. Next to the County Jail. It was my first time there. The view from Pirate Radio over Sunrise Marina is the best I have seen in Key West. A wow!

The call numbers for Mark’s show are 101.7 WKYZ and 96.7 WKYZ. It is aired from Key West northward to the middle Keys.

Worked alone a bit in the afternoon on friday’s TV/Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. The show is developing. Topics so far include the NRA, the debt ceiling issue, Hulk Hogan, escape from a Greek jail, the Pope’s chief of staff Archbishop Georg Ganswein and his picture on the cover of Vanity Fair, Louis Armstrong, Eastern Airlines, John Kennedy, Louis XIV’s beheading, Roe v. Wade, and more.

A good show in the making!

Worked with Sloan at 5 for a while.

A big day today!

A pedicure and manicure with Tammy at noon. Babysitting the grandkids at 5:30. We will probably go out to dinner together.

Key West weather continues to be abnormal. Eighty one degrees yesterday. Sixth day in a row in the 80s.

The London helicopter crash is frightening. Two persons killed. I know the area where it occurred well from my London trip several years ago. South of the River Thames near the Underground and Train Station.

Syracuse basketball saturday. Against Louisville. Louisville presently ranked #1, Syracuse #6. Both teams have only lost one game. A battle!

I have not seen Louisville play this season. Understand they are close to perfect. Syracuse has been less than perfect. The team has not blended yet. It does not play as a team. It does not make foul shots. Plus, Southerland is benched because of grades. I feel uncomfortable about the outcome.

One good thing is that I shall be watching the game with good friends. Dan and Lisa and Don and Chris. Plus, the rest of the Syracuse gang. At John’s Big Ten Sports Pub, of course.

Enjoy your day!